Xmas is coming and it's time for long neverending meals with lots of food and talks. So what a surprise to discover a few days before this great event and celebration that unite people in the biggest part of European and American Nations, that an harsh polemic has been spreading on blogs about the different relation to food between US and European citizens.

It all started with a post of Michael Arrington about the famous Joie de Vivre of Europeans. Relating his experience at LeWeb 3, a conference about startups and entrepreneurship organized in France by Loic Le Meur, he complained about our laziness and too great interest for taking time to have lunch.

He was strongly fought back by Loic, asking his readers if Michael should be invited for the next session of his event.

In this kid fight between Michael Arrington and Loic Lemeur, I would like to intrude and give my point of view. As a senior citizen, I have the duty to raise up the debate a little bit, if I can of course.

I will let aside ego & business matters of these two charming guys to go straight to the point. It's a deep conflict of civilizations.

Yes, we, Europeans, entrepreneurs or not, take hours for lunch while American consider nourishing themselves as a pure necessity that should be done the quicker they can. They have a better way to spend their time.

On the other side, Us People can spend their life on the Internet to surf, do Facebook things and so on. According to a study they now spend half of their spare time on the web. So much more interesting, isn't it ?

But it's wider than that. We just spend hours living, while they spend their time working. A considerable difference about main concern in life.

Why ? Because Europe and America are at two different stages of evolution as civilization, whatever Michael and Loic could say about entrepreneurship and so on...

United States is a young nation, and has still things to prove. Yet it pretends to rule the world, It defines economics and politics influences all over the world and is the richest nation and bla bla bla.. but, com'on, they are just teenagers that have to work hard to show daddy that they can make it.

And that's exactly what they are doing. Great.

Europe has done its time. It has ruled the world for a long time. It has done what it has to do in order to bring civilization, democracy and old fashioned stuff like that everywhere it can be brought. Europe has set Culture, education and fine art to a level never reached before.. so we don't need to work so hard anymore. We can rely for some time on our assets.

Yes, it looks like a decline. And it is. But what the f.. ?

Yes America seems more successful in business, but it takes so much effort and so much failure, so much sacrifice to build big companies on the other side of Atlantic. Whereas in France, Spain, Italy, though a culture less favorable to entrepreneurship we still build nice companies without having to sacrifice life in the process.

Moreover, Civilization, as Michael and Loic seem to forgot, is not only about business and money. It's a lot more than that. It has to do with Literature, Art, conversation, habits, manners, and food.

Yes food. What a supreme proof of advanced civilization to spend time in making and savouring sophisticated, excellent food !

So why shouldn't we take hours for lunch if we like to ? We, the old boys, have this privilege as the ancient masters of a decaying world that we want no more to govern.

What could have the barbarians have to say to that ?